To lose three aides in as many months is embarrassing for Boris Johnson, London mayor.
You may remember the first two, which both made for good reading.
Not long after Johnson won the election in May, James McGrath stepped down as director of political strategy at City Hall – after a race row.
A month later, Ray Lewis resigned as deputy mayor for young people amid claims of financial irregularities.
This one may be even more significant. Tim Parker, nicknamed “prince of darkness” by unions for his cost-cutting record in business (he ran the AA, Kwik-Fit and Clarks) is stepping down. He had been chair of Transport for London, deputy mayor and chief executive of the Greater London Authority.
The original appointment had been a striking one: a clear message from Johnson that he would run a lean, efficient machine.
It’s not clear why Parker, who was on a nominal salary of £1 a year, has left the job (he will remain on the board of Transport for London). Boris claims he was doing a “fantastic job”.
Whatever the reason – and here is one very plausible explanation - it doesn’t look great for the mayor’s fledgling administration.
UPDATE
I’ve just received a generic email from Ken Livingstone, Boris’s predecessor, saying Parker’s resignation suggests a “growing chaos” at the heart of the new regime.
“All this flows from Boris Johnson’s incoherent policies for London and therefore incapacity to run the city”, he writes.
Well, he would say that wouldn’t he?
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey